Thursday, Sept. 15

Welcome to the daily prayer guide for the month of September! Today is Thursday, Sept. 15.

Morning

I want to introduce you to the idea of using a prayer book through the day. Some of you will prefer to pray extemporaneously within the patterns I have been showing you thus far, but others ultimately will enjoy having a prayer book in front of you.

This morning prayer is from a little prayer book I found in a used book store about 12 years ago:

Gracious God, heavenly Father, I thank You for Your mercy, which has kept me from all harm and danger through the darkness of the night. Erase the darkness of sin from my life by Your forgiveness, for Jesus my Savior’s sake. Let me begin my duties today with the assurance that You will look with favor on my work. Bless whatever I do that my wages may be enough for my needs and the wants of those whom You have committed to my care. Teach me to give cheerfully of my earnings to support Your church and to help the poor and needy. Help me to remember today the admonition of my Savior: “Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well.” In that spirit let me begin my tasks. Amen. (“My Prayer Book,” Concordia Publishing House, 1957.)

Take time to read these Bible verses in a contemplative and meaningful way: Psalm 113; Exodus 23:1-9; Romans 3:1-8.

Give yourself a few minutes of silence before resuming your day.

Noon

Pray the Lord’s Prayer. Also, here’s a midday prayer from “A Celtic Primer,” a compilation by Brendan O’Malley:

Father, at noontime on this day
hallowed by the Resurrection of your Son,
we give you thanks for your presence among us.
Yours is the earth and its fullness.
May the hearts and desires of all peoples
be turned to you, through Jesus, the Christ, our Lord.

Again, give yourself a few minutes of silence before resuming your day.

Night

For me, evening prayer is often the most difficult. I find myself tired and unfocused if it’s really late. If you have similar problems, try moving your “night” prayer time up a little earlier, perhaps to coincide with sunset.

I hope you continue with the meditative prayer techniques taught earlier. Again, if you’re struggling, you can start a conversation with others about this in the comments section, or you can contact me directly at cwgriffiniii@gmail.com.

When your evening finally draws to a close, I pray you rest well.